Live events & performance

Books and taxes for combat sports promotions.

Gate tickets, a purse paid to every fighter on the card, a commission sanctioning fee, and a merch table that sells out by intermission. Gus sorts each apart, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
SeptemberExample month
$10,200
what you made

September cleared $10,200. The purses for all eight fighters on the card are booked as one line, kept apart from the commission's sanctioning fee.

  • Gate ticket salesGate admissions
  • Pay-per-view streaming payoutBroadcast fees
  • Fighter purses, full cardFighter purses
  • State athletic commission feeSanctioning and licensing
  • Venue rental, arenaVenue rental
Money in$46,000
Money out$35,800
Set aside for taxes$2,600
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

A combat sports promotion's books go wrong the same way, card after card.

A generalist sees a gate deposit and a venue bill. Your card is a purse paid to every fighter, a sanctioning fee owed to the athletic commission, a ringside doctor and officials paid separately, and a merch table that moves fast on fight night. When the books do not separate those, you cannot tell what one card actually cleared.

  1. 1

    Fighter purses get treated as one flat labor cost

    Eight fighters on a card, each paid a different purse based on experience and the fight's position on the bill, can look like one generic labor line, hiding how purse costs scale with the size and quality of the card.

    What we doKeeps fighter purses in their own category, tracked card by card, so you can see how purse cost moves with who is on the bill.
  2. 2

    Sanctioning and commission fees look like a random permit cost

    The fee paid to a state athletic commission to sanction the card gets filed under general permits, losing track of what it actually costs to run a sanctioned event versus an amateur or unsanctioned one.

    What we doKeeps sanctioning and licensing fees in their own line, tied to the card they cover.
  3. 3

    Ringside medical and officiating costs get folded into venue rental

    A ringside physician, referees, and judges are required costs separate from the building itself, and lumped into venue rental it hides how much a sanctioned card really costs to staff safely.

    What we doKeeps medical, officiating, and judging fees in their own category, apart from venue rental.
  4. 4

    Merch and gate money get combined into one deposit

    A merch table that sells fast on fight night and gate ticket sales often land in one bank deposit, hiding whether the card itself or the merch table is really driving that night's revenue.

    What we doKeeps gate admissions and merch sales apart, so you can see what each side of the night brings in.
  5. 5

    Pay-per-view or streaming payouts arrive weeks after the card

    A pay-per-view or streaming service holds broadcast money and pays out well after the event, and booked as regular gate revenue, it is hard to see which card that late payout was actually for.

    What we doTies broadcast payouts back to the card they were for, even when the money lands weeks later.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a combat sports promotion.

Set up once for how a card makes money and where it goes. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Gate admissionsTicket sales at the door or through an advance ticketing app.
  • Broadcast feesPay-per-view and streaming payouts, tied back to the card they cover.
  • SponsorshipsLocal business sponsorships on the ring banner and posters.
  • Merch salesApparel and gear sold at the venue on fight night.
  • VIP and cageside seatingPremium seating packages sold above general admission.

Money out

  • Fighter pursesPurses paid to every fighter on the card, tracked by event.
  • Sanctioning and licensingState athletic commission fees for the card.
  • Medical and officiatingRingside physician, referees, and judges.
  • Venue rentalArena or hall rental for the event date.
  • ProductionRing setup, lighting, and sound crew for the card.
  • SecurityCrowd and backstage security for the event.
  • MarketingSocial promotion, local ads, and printed posters.
  • InsuranceEvent liability and fighter medical coverage.

What we watch for you

  • Purse-to-gate ratio

    What total purses cost against gate revenue, before you set the next card's fight fees.

  • Sanctioning cost per card

    What commission and licensing fees run per event, useful when comparing sanctioned to amateur cards.

  • Merch-to-gate ratio

    How much the merch table adds beyond ticket sales on a typical fight night.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number already known.

Ask Gus

Things promotion owners ask Gus.

Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.

Do all eight fighters on the card get 1099s, even the ones on the undercard?

If any one of them is paid $2,000 or more this year and is not on payroll, yes, by January 31. I keep a running list across every card.

Our pay-per-view money for last month's card just landed this week. How is that tracked?

I tie it back to the card it was actually for, so it counts against that event's numbers, not whichever month the payout happened to land.

Should we move to a bigger venue for our next card?

That is a real budget call above what I settle alone. I put together what the last few cards actually cleared for the accountant to run the numbers with you.

The tax side

The tax side of running a combat sports promotion.

Most of what goes wrong here is keeping purses, sanctioning fees, and officials straight, all paid around the same card, often by check or cash.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Contractor 1099s for fighters and officialsA fighter, referee, or judge paid $2,000 or more over the year outside payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list card by card.
  • Matching broadcast payouts to the right cardA pay-per-view or streaming payout that lands weeks after the event belongs to that card's numbers, not the month the payment arrived. Getting the timing right keeps each card's settlement honest.
  • Worker classification for production and security staffA production crew member or security guard who works your schedule and follows your rules every card is usually an employee, even for an occasional, per-event role.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operated promotions can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when purses, sanctioning fees, and gate money are all booked correctly.

Deductions local wrestling and combat sports promotions miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Ring and cage rental
  • Ringside medical staffing
  • Referee and judge fees
  • Sanctioning and licensing fees
  • Event liability insurance
  • Sound and lighting rental
  • Security staffing
  • Printed posters and tickets
  • Merch inventory
  • Card processing fees
  • Broadcast production costs
  • Trade association dues

General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.

All year, not just April

A combat sports promotion's year, kept every month.

Cards run on their own booking calendar, often monthly or quarterly. Gus keeps the tax calendar lined up alongside it. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list for fighters and officials is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.

  3. July

    Mid-year check

    Where you stand across the year's cards so far, and what you will owe.

  4. October

    Booking next year's cards

    Venue and sanctioning deals for next year often get locked in this time of year. Gus looks at what this year's cards actually cleared before you commit.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.

Book a call
  • Monthly bookkeeping

    Every transaction sorted into categories set up for local wrestling and combat sports promotions. You never categorize a thing.

  • An accountant checks every transaction

    Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.

  • Your business tax return, filed

    Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.

  • The monthly number

    What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.

  • Your own bookkeeper

    A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.

  • On your books all year

    Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.

  • Cancel any time

    No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.

Straight answers

Questions promotion owners ask first.

Do we need to track fighter purses separately from other event costs?

Yes, and Gus does it by default. Purses are their own category, tracked card by card, so you can see how that cost moves with who is on the bill.

How does Gus handle our state athletic commission sanctioning fee?

It gets its own line, separate from general permits, so you can see exactly what being sanctioned costs against each card.

Our pay-per-view money always lands weeks late. Is that a problem?

No. Gus ties that payout back to the card it was actually for, so it shows up against the right event instead of whichever month it happened to arrive.

Do our fighters get 1099s even for a single fight?

If you pay one $2,000 or more over the year and they are not on payroll, yes, by January 31, even for one fight.

We sell merch at the door alongside tickets. Can that be split out?

Yes. Gus keeps gate admissions and merch sales apart, so you can see what each side of fight night is really bringing in.

Our books are behind from a packed card schedule. Can Gus catch up?

Yes. Send the bank statements and settlement sheets you have, and Gus sorts them card by card. Most promoters know where they stand inside a week.

Is a real accountant checking my books?

Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.

What does it cost, and can I cancel?

It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.

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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for

Book a call

Pick a time. That's the whole signup.

Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.

  • $197 a month to start
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever